Murder on the Hogwarts Express
by DivineDebris
Summary: Neville has a mystery to solve, but things don't ever go according to plan...not that it's a bad thing. Neville/Luna fluff. Winner of the October 2014 Twin Exchange Challenge!


**Murder on the Hogwarts Express**

It was blood, Neville was sure of it. What other liquid could possess such a deep crimson hue? As he boarded the Hogwarts Express, he immediately noticed the scarlet drops scattered intermittently along the floor.

He followed the trail stealthily, fully expecting the culprit to be found amongst the Slytherin compartments. Alas the trail continued, which left Neville rather stumped.

But perhaps the blood belonged to the victim and not the guilty party at all! Neville pressed on, now quite sure that the smattering of blood would lead him to a helpless Hufflepuff, but once again his deductions proved faulty, and the trail continued.

Ravenclaw hardly seemed the type to leave a trail of blood behind, whether victim or offender. They generally had enough foresight to take care of their messes beforehand, and just as expected the traces of red maintained their course onward past the throng of studious classmates.

So that left the Gryffindors. Headstrong and reckless as they were, they could easily fall under the categories of both perpetrator and prey alike. Neville braced himself, ready to find an injured Harry or Ron, or perhaps the remains of a witch or wizard who had unwisely provoked Ginny or Hermione.

But it turned out to be none of those things, and someone from the one house he never would have suspected.

Neville reached the last compartment to find Luna Lovegood with blood on her fingernails, unconscious against the window.

"Luna! Luna, are you alright?"

The fair-haired witch roused with a bemused expression. "You look troubled, Neville. Do you have a nargle in your nose?"

Neville laughed, rejoicing that the witch was well enough to be in good spirits. "Thank Godric, you're alright, Luna; I was worried for a moment." Then he grabbed her hands in a firm but gentle movement. "Now who did this to you? I'm going to make them pay."

She stared at him curiously. "Ginny did of course. Did she do a bad job? I was under the impression that it was rather stylish."

His brain might have stopped working at that moment as he tried to piece together the inexplicable statement Luna had just made.

"You mean to say…that _isn't_ blood?"

Luna let out a tinkling laugh. "Of course not! It's a lovely muggle product called nail polish. Ginny discovered it over the summer and insisted on painting my nails. Here, I'll show you…oh dear, it looks as though the whole bottle leaked out of my bag. I'm terribly sorry, Neville. I was going to offer to paint yours as well, but it looks as though you'll have to get your nails painted some other time."

Harry and Ron appeared at the compartment at the precise moment Luna uttered the last sentence to Neville.

Ron's eyes raised to the ceiling. "Neville wants his nails painted. I thought only girls did that!"

Harry said nothing, continuing to eye the pair quizzically.

It took Neville several seconds to sort out what they meant. "No! This isn't what it looks like! I thought Luna had been murdered!"

Lavender Brown popped her head out from the adjacent seats. "Ooh! Who's been murdered?"

"Luna Lovegood," Ron spouted without a second's hesitation.

Ginny appeared, whacking her brother on the arm. "Quit talking nonsense, Ron. Clearly Luna is right in front of you and appears to be in very good health."

"Neville doesn't seem to think so," he retorted.

Neville was getting quite frustrated. "Look, I saw the nail polishing paint on the floor and thought it was blood. I was…concerned for her safety!"

Luna beamed. "I never knew how much you cared, Neville." Then she leaned forward and pressed her lips to the wizard's cheek, leaving him quite dazed.

"Right, um, of course…I was just…concerned." He blushed profusely, and the witch's grin widened.

"I suppose I'll have to spill my nail polish more often then." With that she rose and exited the compartment alongside Ginny.

Her parting words perplexed him slightly. "What do you think she means by that?"

Ron chuckled and offered a wink. "I think that means she likes you."

Who would've thought? Neville leaned back against the seat previously occupied by Luna and was feeling pretty pleased with himself. In any case he was glad to have been proven wrong – and _very _glad that it was with Luna Lovegood.

_Fin._

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><p><strong>Prompts: <strong>Nail Polish, Hogwarts Express**; Pairing: **Neville/Luna**; Quote: **"I think that means she likes you."**  
><strong>

**Written for the October 2014 Twin Exchange Challenge. Thanks for reading! -V**


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